Reducing re-offending

WE WILL place offenders at the centre of our efforts to achieve better outcomes by:

  • Introducing a case management approach to planning for the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners while serving their sentences.
  • Increasing the availability of drug and alcohol treatment programmes across all of our prisons.
  • Developing local solutions to enhance drug and alcohol treatment for offenders in the community alongside District Health Boards.
  • Dedicating services and resources to the rehabilitation of young offenders, targeting education, training, employment, parenting and living skills.
  • Expanding the range of services available to offenders in the community that improve their chances of living offending-free lives.
  • Strengthening the programmes currently running in all five Maori focus units in our prisons to ensure long-term change in offending behaviours is achieved.
  • Equipping every frontline staff member to be an agent of change for offenders in their daily interactions.
  • Implementing “Whare Oranga Ake” in Spring Hill and Hawke’s Bay Prisons to improve the rehabilitation and reintegration of Maori offenders.

WE WILL ensure prisoners have the skills and opportunity to have a job on release by:

  • Taking maximum advantage of the employment services offered by Work and Income through joint planning and preparation of prisoners on release.
  • Hosting employer and industry seminars within our prisons to showcase prisoners at work in our CIE* industries.
  • Increasing the participation of prisoners in CIE activities to lift their skill levels, confidence and employability.
  • Ensuring more prisoners have access to programmes that improve their literacy and numeracy.
  • Introducing job opportunity boards in every prison to increase the awareness and engagement of prisoners in their release planning.
  • Doubling the number of prisoners participating in our Release to Work programme, lifting their employability long-term.
  • Delivering a range of training opportunities that specifically prepare prisoners for labouring and trade activities relevant to the rebuild of Christchurch.

* Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) provides a range of initiatives to improve prisoners’ employment skills, training and formal qualifications whilst they are serving their sentence.